Written Answers

Tuesday 26 September 2000

Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it intends to make in connection with the maintenance of a direct flight from Edinburgh to Vienna.

Sarah Boyack: None. This is a commercial matter for the airlines concerned.

Climate Change Levy

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of any additional costs it will incur as a result of the climate change levy and whether it will detail any such costs broken down by department.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive have put in place a new electricity and energy management services contract with Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) from 1 July 2000. The new contract is for two years with a possible extension of a further one year and covers 12 Scottish Executive bodies and 14 other Scottish public sector organisations across Scotland.

  Projected savings in comparison to the previous contract for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 are £515,000. After taking account of the market effect of the proposed climate change levy (CCL) of approximately £290,000, a net saving of £225,000 is anticipated.

  CCL is revenue neutral. The monies raised will be returned in full through a reduction in National Insurance Contributions and through support for energy efficiency measures. This cannot, as yet, be calculated by the Scottish Executive.

  The terms of the contract negotiated with SSE provide for energy management services in the following areas: customer needs analysis, energy audits, consumption data, advisory services and the delivery of energy awareness programmes to staff. Promoting energy conservation will reduce energy bills and the subsequent level of greenhouse gas emissions.

  It is not possible to break down these savings and the effect of CCL by department, as buildings are shared and departmental areas are not separately metered.

Culture

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the total amount of grants and special funding given to Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet specifically to assist with the cost of merger and what are the dates when all such grants or special funding were awarded.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Arts Council awarded £600,000 to Scottish Opera/Scottish Ballet under its National Lottery Advancement Programme in 1998-99: £400,000 was paid in 1998-99 and £200,000 in 1999-2000. In addition, in 1998-99 SAC paid the companies £75,000 specifically towards consultancy/legal costs on technical, legal and financial aspects.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what detoxification programmes are available to current methadone users.

Angus MacKay: I refer Ms Scanlon to the responses to her earlier related questions (S1W-8866, S1W-8871 and S1W-8872). Methadone treatment is a long-term process and joint assessment and care management arrangements are an important component of any good programme. Good joint assessment ensures that the best kind of detoxification takes place – whether in the person’s own home or in a residential centre. The Executive is actively considering the inclusion of questions about such service models in the reporting templates for Drug Action Teams in 2001-02, which will help in giving us a better idea of what is available at local level.

  Of course, a number of good services already exist such as the "Social Firm" project in Angus, which provides links to people coming off drugs with education and employment. Another good initiative is the "Backpacking" home care projects in Ayrshire which involve nurses going to people’s homes and offering support to those trying to harm reduce or come off drugs. Funding has been given under the New Futures Fund to 21 projects which all seek to encourage people to move away from their drug habit and develop a personal action plan to improve their employability skills. For example, the Glasgow Community Drugs project offers support and a drop-in facility for methadone users and provides an activities programme to support them in the transition to further training and an outreach service.

  I recently announced that I was making an extra £1 million available to voluntary sector organisations for the development of drug rehabilitation services through section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. While applications for a share of this funding are currently under consideration, a feature of the bidding process has been that some areas are attempting to decrease the number of people being sent to residential rehabilitation by developing local services that include home detoxification facilities. These resources should, therefore, help in improving the provision of services for people, including methadone users, who want to come off drugs and be rehabilitated into the community.

Drug Misuse

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what facilities are currently available for drug rehabilitation in the Fife Health Board area.

Iain Gray: Drug rehabilitation services within the Fife Health Board area are provided in a variety of settings, including outpatient clinics, day hospitals and by voluntary organisations within the community.

  The Fife Drug and Alcohol Action Team is responsible for co-ordinating service provision within Fife and is working with the statutory and voluntary sectors to improve services available for drug misusers. Their action plan can be obtained from the Information and Research Officer, Fife Drug and Alcohol Action Team, Pitteuchar Resource Centre, 211 Tantallon Avenue, Glenrothes, Fife, KY7 4QA.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what central analysis is made of the overall impact of Private Finance Initiative or Public/Private Partnership contracts on the Scottish budget.

Mr Jack McConnell: Estimates of revenue commitment resulting from service payments by the public sector are calculated in real and cash terms, rounded to the nearest £1 million, for both signed projects and projects under procurement on a year-by-year and sector-by-sector basis. They are provided to HM Treasury as part of the Public Expenditure Survey and are published in the Treasury "Red Book" as aggregated figures.

  The impact of estimated total revenue commitments for signed Private Finance Initiative or Public/Private Partnership contracts on the Scottish Executive’s budget is less than 1% in cash terms in any year during the period covered by Scotland’s Budget Documents.

Finance

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which public sector bodies are allocated external finance limits, what the 2000-01 limits are in each case and who sets these limits.

Mr Jack McConnell: The table below details the public sector bodies that are set external financing limits by the Scottish Executive and provides details of the limits allocated for 2000-01:

  

 

£ million




National Health Service Trusts


-£23




Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd


£11




Caledonian MacBrayne


£19




Scottish Enterprise


£393




Highlands and Islands Enterprise


£67




North of Scotland Water Authority


£55




West of Scotland Water Authority


£81




East of Scotland Water Authority


£66




  Note: The figure for NHS Trusts is negative (-£23 million) because the repayment of existing loans, which scores as a receipt in public expenditure terms, is greater than the draw down of any new loans. It is obviously not a reduction in ability to spend or borrow.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Her Majesty’s Government in connection with the re-introduction of a grant scheme for improving the safety of fishing vessels or whether it intends to introduce a separate Scottish scheme.

Mr John Home Robertson: The Scottish Executive has had discussions with the UK Government Departments about this issue. I made clear earlier my intention to introduce a Scottish scheme. An announcement about that will be made shortly.

Freedom of Information

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether access to Customs and Excise records held in Scotland will come within the scope of its proposed freedom of information legislation.

Mr Jim Wallace: Information held by UK public bodies, such as Customs and Excise, operating in Scotland will be subject to UK freedom of information legislation. Information held by Scottish public bodies, except information supplied by a Minister of the Crown or government department and held in confidence, will be subject to Scottish freedom of information legislation.

  This is explained in further detail in the Executive’s consultation document An Open Scotland (SE/1999/51), a copy of which is available in SPICe.

Freedom of Information

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it intends to make under the proposed freedom of information legislation with regard to Her Majesty’s Government records held in Scotland by bodies responsibility for which is not devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Jim Wallace: The legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament in relation to "access to information", as set out in The Scotland Act 1998 (Modifications of Schedules 4 and 5) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1749), does not extend to information held by UK Government Departments or public authorities, including those UK bodies operating in Scotland. Such bodies will be subject to UK Freedom of Information legislation. This is explained in further detail in the Executive’s consultation document An Open Scotland (SE/1999/51), a copy of which is available in SPICe.

Housing

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many families are currently living in temporary accommodation awaiting housing allocation, broken down by local authority.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The information requested is not currently available.

  However, the Scottish Executive has recently introduced a new data collection from local authorities to obtain quarterly information on the numbers of households with children in temporary accommodation. The number of such households at the end of June 2000 will be available towards the end of the year. The figures will be available for each local authority area. They will include all households in temporary accommodation who have been placed there by the local authority under the homeless persons legislation, either pending enquiries under the legislation or as a final outcome of a homelessness application.

Justice

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of a court hearing to deal with non-payment of a fine, what the average fine is and what the additional costs to the criminal justice system of non-payment of fines, were in the last years for which figures are available.

Mr Jim Wallace: The average cost of a court hearing to deal with non-payment of a fine in the sheriff court was £35 in 1998-99. Similar information is not readily available in respect of non-payment cases dealt with in the district court. The average fine imposed in Scottish courts was £176 in 1998, the latest year for which data are available. We have commissioned research on implications for the criminal justice system, and hope that the results of this research will be available in the early part of next year.

Land Ownership

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5993 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 May 2000, what are the "considerable difficulties" which it sees for any proposed legislation in respect of landed estates and what are the "difficulties of regulation" in ensuring any compliance.

Mr Jim Wallace: We can see practical difficulties in several areas relating to a proposal to legislate to require non-resident and corporate owners to appoint a legally responsible local agent. For example, how to enforce requirements upon non-residents; and how to address a failure to comply. There is also the matter of attaching liability to secure the compliance of local agents, and setting appropriate penalties to deal with any failure.

  As I explained, we fully support the principle of accountability, and our Code of Good Practice on Rural Land Ownership will address the matter of local representation.

Mental Health

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total annual spend on mental health services in Scotland was in each of the last five years.

Iain Gray: Health boards and local authority social work departments incur expenditure in relation to mental health.

  In terms of NHS expenditure, mental illness is equated with the specialties of general psychiatry, adolescent psychiatry, child psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry.

  The figures for the years up to and including 1998-99 are provided in the publication Scottish Health Service Costs for each of the years. Figures relating to expenditure by health boards are not yet available for 1999-2000.

  The table below sets out the expenditure by local authority social work departments on services for people with mental health problems. There is a discontinuity in the data between 1996-97 and 1997-98.

  


Net Revenue Expenditure1,2 
on Adults with Mental Health Problems (£ million)







1994-95


1995-96


1996-97


1997-983


1998-99




Net Expenditure to be financed from 
grants, non-domestic rates, council taxes and balances.


23.1


30.1


34.7


33.4


38.2




  Source: As reported by councils on the statistical return Local Financial Return for Social Work (LFR3).

  Notes:

  1. Excludes Loan Charges.

  2. Data for 1998-99 are provisional and will be subject to change.

  3. Data prior to 1997-98 includes senior management and purchasing, day centres, residential homes fully staffed, and other supported accommodation. From 1997-98, data includes day centres, residential and nursing homes and other services for adults with mental health problems.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what has been the number of (a) inpatients and (b) outpatients being treated for mental illness on an annual basis for each of the last five years, broken down by health board.

Iain Gray: The available information is as follows:

  Psychiatric1 inpatient discharges2: years ending 31 March 1996 to 31 March 1999

  





1996


1997


1998


1999




Scotland


33,687


33,374


32,953


31,939




Argyll & Clyde


2,833


3,021


3,393


3,133




Ayrshire & Arran


2,581


2,480


2,604


2,639




Borders


659


751


692


646




Dumfries & Galloway


853


927


877


852




Fife


2,110


1,949


1,994


2,009




Forth Valley


1,680


1,650


1,636


1,453




Grampian


2,824


2,823


2,679


2,657




Greater Glasgow


6,135


5,842


5,871


5,623




Highland


1,346


1,421


1,409


1,443




Lanarkshire


3,058


2,876


2,852


2,874




Lothian


6,161


5,837


5,648


5,486




Orkney


10


24


-


-




Shetland


-


-


-


-




Tayside


3,228


3,557


3,071


2,925




Western Isles


209


216


227


199




  Psychiatric1 new outpatient attendances: years ending 31 March 1996 to 31 March 1999

  





1996


1997


1998


1999




Scotland


56,375


58,609


58,771


57,955




Argyll & Clyde


4,279


3,954


4,288


5,112




Ayrshire & Arran


1,971


2,642


2,874


2,695




Borders


1,305


1,022


1,144


1,068




Dumfries & Galloway


1,209


1,848


1,696


1,328




Fife


2,158


2,494


2,401


2,311




Forth Valley


2,991


2,348


2,170


2,613




Grampian


5,125


5,492


4,855


5,074




Greater Glasgow


10,808


11,239


11,684


9,773




Highland


1,733


1,550


1,543


1,687




Lanarkshire


4,777


4,948


4,831


4,228




Lothian


15,513


16,169


17,041


16,493




Orkney


51


51


67


176




Shetland


98


139


148


143




Tayside


4,210


4,547


3,897


5,071




Western Isles


147


166


132


183




  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Comprises the following specialties: mental illness, psychogeriatrics, child psychiatry and adolescent psychiatry.

  2. Refers to the end of each episode of hospital care. A patient may generate several episodes of care each year. Therefore the actual number of patients will be lower than that shown.

  3. NHS Locations only. Excludes any activity in joint-user and contractual hospitals.

  4. No information has been included on mental health consultations talking place in Primary Care settings (e.g. GP practice).

Ministerial Costs

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the full costs, including fuel, drivers’ salaries, insurance, road fund tax and servicing in (i) the last financial year and (ii) the current financial year to the end of August of providing the Government car service for ministerial use.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Government Car Service (Scotland) (GCS) provides or arranges car transport for the Scottish Ministers, Ministers of UK Government Departments when in Scotland, office-bearers of the Scottish Parliament, senior members of the judiciary, officials and visiting dignitaries. GCS vehicles may be used by more than one individual on any given day.

  Estimated expenditure broken down into the categories of fuel, drivers’ salaries, insurance, road fund tax and servicing for the GCS are shown in the table below:

  





1999-2000


1 April 2000 – 31 
August 2000




Fuel


£34,832


£13,097




Drivers Salaries (incl. ERNIC and 
overtime)


£235,000


£105,000




Servicing


£11,900


£1,882




Insurance/Vehicle repairs)


£875


£775




Road Fund Tax*


nil


nil




  *Crown exemption

  When demand exceeds available GCS capacity, private hire cars are engaged from companies with which the GCS has contractual arrangements. The expenditure on these for Scottish Ministers is shown in the table below:

  





1999-2000


1 April 2000 – 31 
August 2000




Private Contract Hire


£106,000


£85,000

NHS Waiting Times

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it has put in place to help Greater Glasgow Health Board address the recent increased level of hospital waiting lists.

Susan Deacon: Greater Glasgow Health Board already receives £8.503 million each year specifically to reduce waiting lists. A further £11.179 million was recently allocated to the health board as its share of the additional £60 million allocated to the NHS in Scotland to tackle waiting times, prepare for winter and reduce the problem of delayed discharge.

  On 8 August I announced the allocation of £11 million for cancer imaging equipment: Glasgow’s share is £2.573 million. I also announced £5 million for the provision of dedicated MRI scanners at each of Scotland’s five specialist cancer centres, including the Beatson Oncology Centre attached to the Western Infirmary, Glasgow. In addition, on 29 August I announced the allocation of a further £7 million for the redesign of services. Each NHS Trust in Scotland will receive £225,000 to reduce waiting, bureaucracy and provide a better, more responsive service for patients.

  Sustained improvement can only be achieved by investment underpinned by strategic planning and changes to working practices and service design. I have made it clear to health board and NHS Trust senior management that I expect them to develop strategies to ensure that waiting lists and waiting times are driven down at an early date, and that downward pressure is sustained for the benefit of patients throughout Scotland.

National Lottery Awards

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4663 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 31 May 2000, what action will be taken to distribute lottery funding more evenly next year.

Rhona Brankin: All lottery distributors are developing strategies to provide better advice and support to applicants and potential applicants.

Prison Service

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under the age of 16 were held in each adult prison in Scotland (a) for less than 24 hours, (b) for less than 48 hours, (c) for less than 7 days and (d) for more than 7 days in (i) 1997; (ii) 1998, and (iii) 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The table below sets out the number of unruly certificate remands for 1997 and 1998 where the child was under the age of 16. Figures for 1999 are not yet available. For 1997 there were 41 unruly certificates and the number of children involved was 31, for 1998 there were 19 certificates involving 18 children.

  





1997


1998







<24 hrs


<48hrs


7 days or less


>7 days


TOTAL


<24 hrs


<48hrs


7 days or less


>7 days


TOTAL




Aberdeen


2











2








1


1


2




Barlinnie














0











1


1




Cornton Vale








1





1














0




Dumfries














0














0




Edinburgh








4


2


6














0




Glenochil YOI














0














0




Greenock














0








2


1


3




Inverness








2





2








2





2




Kilmarnock














0














0




Longriggend





1


10


14


25





1


7


2


10




Perth


1





1


3


5








1





1




Polmont














0














0




TOTAL


3


1


18


19


41


0


1


13


5


19

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which prisons and young offenders’ institutes have undergone structural alterations worth over £100,000 in the past five years and how much capital has been invested in each institution.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is set out in the table below and covers the five-year period from 1995-96 to 1999-2000.

  


Establishment


Capital Investment
£ million




Aberdeen


1.76




Barlinnie


12.17




Castle Huntly


0.47




Cornton Vale


3.05




Dumfries


3.79




Edinburgh


11.74




Glenochil


5.05




Greenock


4.86




Inverness


1.18




Low Moss


0.87




Noranside


1.02




Perth


9.21




Peterhead


2.22




Polmont


1.81




Shotts


3.84

Prison Service

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of prison officer absences arise as a result of assaults on officers by inmates.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information is not available.

Prison Service

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the main features are of the new staff attendance system and absence management procedure being introduced in the Scottish Prison Service from 1 September 2000 and whether any changes were made to these systems during their development as a result of consultation with employees.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Our new staff attendance system will enable our staff resources to be used more effectively and efficiently. It has been discussed with our trade union representatives since spring 1998. We have rescheduled the start to the autumn rather than 1 September to enable a final period for discussion to take place, but we have told them that the status quo is not acceptable as SPS needs to make significant efficiency improvements to become competitive and thus improve job security.

  Our Absence Management Procedure, which will start on 15 October, has been developed fully in partnership with our Trade Union Side. We believe that the new procedure will improve SPS’s poor sickness absence record.

  Its main features are:

  takes account of the ACAS advisory booklet – discipline at work;

  supportive home contacts whilst absent;

  supportive return to work meetings held on each occasion of sick absence;

  occupational health advice and support;

  three separate periods of sick absence; or nine days sick absence or any discernible pattern of sick absence in a rolling 12 months period will be formally managed;

  more than 21 consecutive days sick absence qualify as long-term sickness;

  employees have the right to make representation, be represented and appeal against any decision made in the formal procedure.

Prison Service

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Service is trying to make further efficiency savings and, if so, in what areas and for what reasons.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS seeks to provide an excellent service at a competitive cost. To achieve this, efficiency savings need to be implemented throughout the service and, in particular, a more flexible staff attendance system and more flexible working practices are required.

Prison Service

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the taxpayer is of the contract awarded to Premier Prison Services to plan, build and manage the Private Finance Initiative project at Kilmarnock Prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The cost over the 25-year period of the contract is approximately £130 million in Net Present Value terms.

Prison Service

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Premier Prison Services about the recommendations contained in the recent Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons report on Kilmarnock Prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service and Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited discussed the recommendations and the responses to HM Chief Inspector’s Report were published on 6 July as part of the report.

Prison Service

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs has any plans to meet representatives of the Prison Officers’ Association Scotland to discuss repeal of sections 127 and 128 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am meeting the Prison Officers’ Association Scotland on 10 October 2000, and will be happy to discuss this if it is raised.

Residential Care

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much extra revenue in 2000-01 has been earmarked for reducing waiting times for patients in NHS hospitals who have requested accommodation in residential nursing homes.

Iain Gray: Reducing the number of delayed discharges is a high priority for the Scottish Executive. £60 million has been made available to the NHS – on top of the existing record levels of funding, to accelerate delivery of a number of priorities, including a reduction in the number of delayed discharges.

  In addition, £10 million is being distributed this year to local authorities to help tackle the problems arising from delays in the discharge of patients from hospital. Scotland’s 32 local authorities have been asked to submit plans outlining how they will use the additional amounts available to them. The use of these resources will be planned in partnership with health boards so that they can complement the activity funded by the record additional resources available to the NHS.

Residential Care

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether and how it monitors the use of "disguised drugs" such as drugs administered in a drink or sandwich in the caring of those suffering from dementia and other similar disorders.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether and how it monitors the use of tranquillising and sedative drugs in the caring of those suffering from dementia and other similar disorders.

Iain Gray: General practitioners are responsible for prescribing and monitoring medication of each individual resident. Every nursing home is required by law to maintain a detailed record of every course of treatment administered to each resident from the date of admission, including that prescribed by medical or dental practitioners. Homes are subject to twice-yearly inspection, and all records are available for examination by the visiting registration inspection team.

Residential Care

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many elderly people are currently (a) in hospital or (b) at home who have been assessed as suitable for a nursing or residential home but whose placement has been deferred due to lack of funding, broken down by health board area.

Iain Gray: The information requested is not currently available centrally; however, comprehensive consistent information on those in hospital awaiting discharge will be published for the first time later this year by the Information and Statistics Division of the NHS in Scotland. Information on both (a) and (b) should currently be available from each local authority in Scotland.

Road Safety

Mrs Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to encourage safe routes to school initiatives.

Sarah Boyack: Last December the Scottish Executive issued guidance on How to Run Safer Routes to School to each local authority and all schools in Scotland. The guidance provides practical advice to all those involved in the journey to school and will help enable safer routes schemes to become more widespread in Scotland. This will contribute significant improvements to the health, safety and social development of our children.

  In May I announced that local authorities in Scotland would receive additional capital consents totalling £5.2 million to take forward work on the implementation of safer routes to school schemes in the current financial year.

  In June I announced the establishment of the Scottish School Travel Advisory Group (Scottish STAG). This will consider, amongst other things, the report of the UK School Travel Advisory Group and make recommendations on how the report’s conclusions can best be taken forward in Scotland.

  Most recently, the Executive supported a major conference on the issue of Safer Routes to School, which was run jointly by the Cycling Charity SUSTRANS and Glasgow City Council. The conference took place in Glasgow on 4 September and I gave the keynote address.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a similar specification will be used in landscaping and screening the new section of the A1 special road between Haddington and Dunbar to that used in previous phrases of upgrading.

Sarah Boyack: Landscaping and landscape screening on the Haddington to Dunbar upgrading will be developed under the principles of Cost Effective Landscape: Learning from Nature , which was published by the Scottish Office in February 1998.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been adequate and effective communication with the communities served by the A95 with regard to the various works to be carried out on the road and, if there has not, what measures it proposes to take to address this matter.

Sarah Boyack: Yes.

Rural Affairs

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any offer of assistance has been made to Scottish Milk Products to defray the costs of compliance by the Rothesay and Campbeltown creameries with the EU Waste Water Directive.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has had a number of meetings with Scottish Milk and Scottish Milk Products and have discussed a number of options available to assist Scottish Milk Products meet the requirements of the EU Urban Waste Water Directive. Scottish Milk have commissioned a financial feasibility study, funded by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise, to cost and examine the various options. No firm offer of financial assistance has been made as Scottish Milk have still to decide on their preferred option.

Rural Affairs

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any offer of assistance to Scottish Milk Products in relation to compliance with the EU Waste Water Directive is final and, if not, when negotiations are expected to be completed.

Ross Finnie: Discussions between the Scottish Executive and Scottish Milk Products are continuing and Scottish Milk Products have still to decide on how they intend to comply with the requirements of the EU Urban Waste Water Directive. Scottish Milk Products have not made any application for assistance at this stage. However, the Scottish Executive is prepared to give sympathetic consideration to any aid application which will enable Scottish Milk Products to comply with the EU Urban Waste Water Directive and ensure the future viability of the creameries at Rothesay and Campbeltown.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice the Executive has given to its government agencies regarding mileage rates payable to staff.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive provides advice to the following agencies on the mileage rates payable and on when these rates change following negotiations with the Inland Revenue:

  Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency

  Scottish Agricultural Science Agency

  Students Awards Agency for Scotland

  Fisheries Research Services

  National Archives of Scotland

  Scottish Public Pensions Agency

  Food Standards Agency, Scotland

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the mileage rates payable to staff and users in each Executive department or agency where these are available on an annual basis since 1997, and for which departments or agencies these details are not available.

Mr Jack McConnell: The mileage rates payable to staff from April 1997 are as follows:

  Scottish Executive

  





Motor Mileage


Motor Cycle


Pedal Cycle


Passenger Supplement*


Equipment Supplement#


Leased Car


Public Transport Rate




(pence)




1997-98


33.0


22.8


6.2


2.0


2.0


8.0


-




1998-99


34.0


23.0


6.2


2.0


2.0


8.0


-




1999-2000


36.0


23.0


12.0


2.0


2.0


8.0


25.0




2000-01


39.0


24.0


12.0


2.0


2.0


8.0


26.0




  * 2.0 pence per mile for first passenger and 1.0 pence per mile for any additional passengers.

  # Rate per mile for carrying heavy equipment which may cause abnormal deterioration to the interior of the car.

  The following agencies and department of the Executive operate their own dispensation arrangements with the Inland Revenue. The mileage rates they have paid since April 1997 are as follows:

  Scottish Prison Service

  





Motor Mileage


Motor Cycle


Pedal Cycle


Passenger Supplement*


Equipment Supplement#


Excess Fare Allowance


Additional Attendance◊




(pence)




1997-2000


32.0 


2.8 


6.2 


2.0 


2.0 


-


-




2000-01


32.0 (up to 4,000 miles 
per tax year) 
22.5 (over 4,000 miles 
per tax year)


22.8 


6.2 


2.0 


2.0 


30.0 


32.0 (taxable)




  * 2.0 pence per mile for first passenger and 1.0 pence per mile for any additional passengers.

  # Rate per mile for carrying heavy equipment which may cause abnormal deterioration to the interior of the car.

  ◊ Rate payable to staff who travel to their place of work on overtime.

  Registers of Scotland

  





Motor Mileage


Passenger Supplement




(pence)




1997-2001


32.0 


2.0 pence




  Scottish Courts Group

  

 

0-1500cc*


1500-2000cc*


Over 2000*


Public Transport Rate




(pence)




1997–August 2000

 



Per mile up to 5,000 miles


35.7


42.0


46.0


23.0




Per mile over 5,000 miles


18.0


22.0


30.0




  * Based on Motor Engine Capacity

  September 2000 onwards – adopting Scottish Executive rates

  Crown Office

  

 

0-1000cc#


1001-1500cc#


1501-2000cc#


Over 2000cc#


Public Transport


Passenger Supplement*


Equipment Supplement◊




(pence)




1997-2000

 



Per mile up to 4,000 miles


27.0


34.0


43.0


50


25.0


2.0


2.0




Per mile over 4,000 miles


15.0


19.0


23.0


32




  #Based on Motor Engine Capacity.

  *2.0 pence per mile for first passenger and 1.0 pence per mile for any additional passengers.

  ◊ Rate per mile for carrying heavy equipment which may cause abnormal deterioration to the interior of the car.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has powers in relation to the Scottish Qualifications Authority and what these powers are; whether it considers that its powers are sufficient, and whether it will take steps to widen such powers.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Qualifications Authority was established under the Education (Scotland) Act 1996. The Act sets out the authority’s functions and the powers which Scottish Ministers have in relation to SQA. As a Non-Departmental Public Body, the relationship between the SQA and Scottish Ministers is also set out in the authority’s Management Statement and Financial Memorandum.

  Ministers’ powers in relation to SQA will be considered in the light of the inquiries being undertaken by the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee and the Education Committee of the Scottish Parliament; and by the Policy and Financial Management Review of the SQA being undertaken by the Scottish Executive.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it first became aware of any inadequacies in quality control measures to ensure consistent marking of this year’s exam papers.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Qualifications Authority has long-established quality assurance procedures for the marking process. The inquiry which I have commissioned will determine whether they were used correctly this year and make recommendations about how quality assurance on marking should operate in future.